Sunflower Chronicles

At the end of the last term of Nursery, Bumblebee came home with a plant in a cup. During the term, they had planted sunflower seeds and watered them till they grew out as beautiful seedlings. I placed the cup on my famous kitchen window sill and watered it as faithfully as I could. It grew impressively compared to the rest of the plants sitting beside it. I knew that one day I’ll have to take it outside to be replanted, but I didn’t know when. The taller it grew, the more confused I got: should I take it out or leave it inside the house? A friend of mine came to the house and promised to bring me a pot so I could move it outside. I think I was waiting for the pot, or maybe that was the excuse feeding my procrastination. Soon, I noticed a bud. It was about to flower and I was excited, but I never got the chance to take it out.

One day, while walking past a couple of houses on the way to the park with the children and I noticed big beautiful sunflower plants standing gracefully in their gardens. These sunflowers were almost 6 feet tall.

O dear!

Our thin-stalk sunflower plant still sat in the cup on the window sill. That day, I decided I would take it outside and plant it in the back garden. I eventually got to it some days later but I knew in my heart that it was too late. The lanky looking plant couldn’t even stand when I moved it from the pot and into the little hole I dug in the ground. I felt so bad. I didn’t give the plant a fighting chance.

Unable to stand tall

It fought hard, giving the circumstances

I’ve thought long and hard about that sunflower. Every time I look out the window and see it, I think about how my lack of proper care for the plant destroyed its potential. Then I realise that it applies to us as human beings. Several people were planted in cups as seeds. There, the security they received from the boundaries caused them to sprout beautifully. Unfortunately, they have been left in those cups, restricted by ideas, customs, doctrines and traditions that they are not allowed to express the full potential placed in them by their creator. The thing about the sunflower is that the roots were so restricted in the cup that they couldn’t grow longer or reach deeper. The soil in the cup was inadequate to support a full-grown plant. It needed space, but the cup was its cage.

Are you in an environment where you feel boxed in? Do you feel stifled by the system you’re operating in? It was okay when you were just a seed, but now, you need to be re-planted in an environment that will support your growth to your full potential.

Honestly, this came as a thought and I don’t think I have fully expressed the depth of the lesson to be learnt by this, but I know it will resonate with the person it’s meant for and I’ll love you to share your thoughts with me in the comment section.